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New England Patriots Gameday Live: All eyes on Tennessee

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots watches game action during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on October 29, 2018 in Orchard Park, New York. New England defeats Buffalo 25-6. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots watches game action during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on October 29, 2018 in Orchard Park, New York. New England defeats Buffalo 25-6. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots (7-2) travel down to the Music City to take on old friend Malcolm Butler and the Tennessee Titans (4-4) at Nissan Stadium Sunday afternoon.

The Tennessee Titans circled this one on their calendars and the New England Patriots will have to come ready to play.

In this Week 10 matchup and AFC Divisional round rematch, the Patriots will travel down to Nashville to take on a few familiar faces.  While the obvious storyline surrounding this game will be centered on old friend Malcolm Butler, another story to watch will be how former Patriots linebacker and new Titans head coach Mike Vrabel fears against Bill Belichick and his former team.

Belichick has certainly gone up against former assistants before, but this is a unique situation where he is facing a former player.  The Titans will already be pumped for this game, but this angle will make the matchup much more interesting.

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The Patriots head coach of course praised his former player ahead of Sunday’s matchup calling him very “astute.” Vrabel displayed mutual feelings in his press conference with the media. The Titans coach didn’t shy away about some hard feelings he had towards Belichick after being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, but also expressed how his coaching style is influenced by the time he spent playing for the stoic coach.

"“I think spending time there, there are some similarities that I believe in and you grow up as a player believing in,” Vrabel said, via ESPN.  “We have different personalities.  I respect his friendship and his guidance and leadership when I played there.  Now we’re competitors and we have to do everything we can to beat the Patriots.”"

Another advantaged Mike Vrabel could have is that he has played with and against Tom Brady.  Without Rob Gronkowski, it could be a tough afternoon for the New England Patriots quarterback and offense.  The Titans are stout up front and have players in the secondary also familiar with Brady.  Both Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan have years of practicing against the reigning NFL MVP.

How to watch New England Patriots vs. Tennessee Titans

Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN

Kickoff: Sunday, November 11, 2018 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: CBS (Check local listings)

Streaming:  fuboTV

Week 10 Prediction:

The New England Patriots will be challenged offensively in this one without the services of Rob Gronkowski, but the return of Sony Michel should help keep the Tennessee Titans defense off balance.

In facing old friend Dion Lewis, the Patriots defense is a key factor in this one.  Stopping the run and finding a way to cover Lewis when he comes out of the backfield could be the key in this one.  If the Titans are able to control clock and keep Brady and the offense off the field, the Titans will have a very good chance of winning this one.

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Overall, the Titans may be so hyped up for this game that they hype themselves into a few mistakes that will benefit the New England Patriots.  Both Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman will have big games in this one as the Patriots will eventually pull away and win this one 27-13.

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